Airship



J. W. HESS June 27, 1933.

AIRSHIP Filed May l1, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet l I n'rentor James h/ ffe xAttorneys ,June 27, 1933. .1 w, H555 1,915,855

AIRSHIP Filed May 11, 1951 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 I m'entor Attorneys J. W.HESS June 27, 1933.

AIRSHIP 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May ll, 1931 Inventor cfa/7.266 /Y'sAttorneys' Patented June 27, 1933 UNITED STATES- msnm Application ledMay 11,

This invention relates to an` airship, and, particularly, t-o thepropelling mechanism for the same as applied to an airship of a rotary jwing type havingsome of the characteristics of the helicopter. In itsgeneral construction, the airship to which I have applied my inventioncomprises two rotors disposed on opposite sides of the centr-alfore-andaft axis of the ship. and these rotors are mounted for rotationon asubstantially vertical axis. A plurality of blades, or wings, arecarried on each rotor,I and these wings are preferably so located that acertain wing of one rotor is constantly in the same phase as thecorresponding wing of the opposite rotor, and the rotors are driven insynchronism.

rl`he general object of the invention is to provide an airship of thistype with V improved means for controlling `the angle of incidence ofthe wings; also to provide a system of control for the wings operatingin such a way that there is a correlated adjustment of the angles ofincidence of the wings so as to obtain a substantial balance of theforces developed by the Wings in their rotation, in-

cluding the lifting effect of the wings and the driving forces thatimpel the airship orward. A further object of the invention is toprovide stabilizing mechanism 'for automatically maintaining the airshipon. an even keel as it progresses through the air, and controlling thewings in such a way that it the nose of the airship tends to dip too tarin normal their angle of incidence so as to raise the dey pressedsidelof the ship. i

ln the operation of the rotors, as the wings pass aft in their travel,their angle of incidence is controlled so as to develop'a propellight,an immediate automatic adjustment i 1931. Serial N0. 536,451.

ling and lifting force on the airship; as the wings come forward theirangle of incidence is decreased so as to reduce their resistance to theair.

A further object of the invention is to pro- Vide a construction for anairship which will be capable of developing a relatively high liftpower, or a relatively high lifting force as may be desired by theaviator, and which will be capable of progressing through the air at arelatively low speed, when desired, and also capable of lighting andtaking oil' at a relatively low speed.

A further object oi the invention is to provide means whereby theairship can volplane 55' to the ground with the wings rotating at arelatively higher velocity than corresponds to the motor, therebyenabling the rotors to rotate freely at a high speed independently ofthe motor and without necessitating the use ot a regular clutch, whichwould have to be manually opened at such a time.

A further object of the invention is to provide a gravity controlledstabilizing device cooperating with the wings of the rotors to stabilizethe airship in its flight by controlling the angle of incidence of thewings oi3 the rotors.

Further objects of the invention will appear hereinafter. l

The invention consists of novel parts and combinations of parts to bedescribed hereinafter, all of which contribute to produce an elcientairship. y

'A preferred embodiment oi the invention is described in the followingspecication,

while the broad scope of the invention is pointed out in the appendedclaims..

In thedrawings-J Figure l is a perspective of an airship embodying. myinvention, a portion of one of the wings being broken away;

Figure 2 is a perspective of a diagrammatic nature illustrating partsofthe frame, 95 and, particularly, illustrating the general arrangement othe airship and the rotors, with parts being broken away;

Figure 3 is a`vertical section through the left rotorl of the airshipand looking in aA 10'I forward direction, certain parts being brokenaway;

Figure 4 is a horizontal lan section taken about on the line 4, 4 ofigure 3, the outer portion of the wings being broken away;

Figure 5 is a vertical section taken about on the line 5, 5 of Figure 3,and further illustrating the means for supporting and adjusting thecontroller rings that control the angle of incidence of the Wings;

Figure 6 is a horizontal section taken about on the line 6, 6 of Figure3, and further illustrating details of the supporting and adjustingmeans for supporting the controller rings;

Figure 7 is a detailed elevation 1n partial section, furtherillustrating the means'tor connecting the controller rings to the wingsfor regulating their angle of incidence;

Figure 8 is a vertical section in detail taken at the lower end of thedriving shaft of one oi the rotors and illustrating the driving meansfor the same, certain parts being broken away;

Figure 9 is a perspective showing the details of a control connection tothe left controller ring for shifting its plane to elevate, or depress,its inboard edge, and correspondingly depress, or elevate, its outboardedge;

Figure 10 is a perspective illustrating the details of a controllerconnection for depressing, or elevating, the forward, or after, edges ofthe controller ring;

Figure 11 is a section taken about on vthe line 11, 11 of Figure 2, and,particularly, illustrating a driving connection which l employ forenabling the rotors at times to rotate at a faster speed than thatcorresponding to the rotation of the shaft of the motor.

Before proceeding to a detailed description of the invention, it shouldbe stated that, in its general construction, ll prefer to .einploy twooppositely disposed rotors located at equal distances Jfrom the centralplane, or axis, of the airship. rlhese rotors carry Wings, each of whichis movable for adjustment on its own corresponding, or individual,substantially 'horizontal axis. The rotors have the same number ofwings, and the rotors are driven in synchronism so that the wings of onerotor are always in the same phase as the wings of the other, though ina reversed relation.

Corresponding to each rotor, l provide a controller ring which ismounted so that it is capable of being tilted into di'erent planes, andeach ring is connected with its corresponding wings so that the ringcontrols the angle of incidence of the wings throughout the entire 360oof their travel as they pass around the axis of the rotor. rllheconstruction is such that in normal flight, the angle of incidence ofany wing of one rotor is the same as the corresponding wing of theopposite rotor, thereby insuring a normal balance of the ship in Hight.These angles of incidence are subject to automatic control through astabilizer device to sustain the ship on a substantial even keel, andovercome any tendency to list to the right or left. These controls,however, are always subject to the manual control of the aviator so thatmanual control can be substituted at any instant for the automaticequilibrating controls.

Referring more particularly to the parts, and especially to Figures 1and 2, 1 indicates the body of the ship that is mounted on a suitableframe 2. This body includes a fuselage 3, which may have a forwardlyprojecting nose, or head, t, and comprises two laterally disposed arms 5and 6, which are suitably trussed by the frame 2, and which supportrotors 7 and 8.

Referring particularly to Figures 2 and 3, each of these rotors ispreferably mounted on a central shaft 9, which, as indicated in Figure3, is preferably not exactly vertical, but mounted so that its upperportion inclines toward the central plane of the airship. Fach rotorcomprises a wheel 10, including a hub secured to the rotary shaft and aconcentric rim 11 connected to the hub by spokes 12 (see Figure 3),which are extended through the wings 13 of the rotor and constitutesupporting shafts corresponding to each wing (see Figure 7). ln thisway, each wing has its own individual axis of rotation for adjustment onthe extended spoke 12, and, furthermore, this axis of rotation for eachwing is preferably located about on a line with the middle transverseaxis of the wing, thereby substantially balancing the pressure forces onthe under side of the wing as it moves through the air.

The upper end of each rotor shaft 9 is mounted in a bearing 14 carriedin a bracket 15 that is attached to the upper truss 16 of the airshipframe; from each bracket 15, a controller ring 17 is supported; eachcontroller ring is supported from the bracket in such a way that it canbe raised to change its elevation with respect to the wings 13.. v

Before describing this means, however, ll shall describe the connectionsbetween the controller rings 17, and the wings 13 for regulating theangle of incidence of the wings as they travel around the axis of therotor. Each controller ring, is, of course, substantially.

the controller ring. With this construction,

vit will be evident that by altering the planel ofthe controller ring,the angle of incidence of the wings can be controlled throughout theircomplete revolution around the axis of the rotor. Means is provided forcontrol-- ling the plane of the controller rings.

Referring again to Figures 2 and .3, each bracket 15 is provided with ahanger 22, which is preferably in the form of a .slide bar guided toslide through a guide bearlng 24 at the lower end of the bracket. vrlhelower end of this slide bar is connectedy to the controller ring by ajoint 25, which is preferably a unl- `versal, or ball and socket, joint(see Figure 5). The casing 26 for this joint is formed as a connectionfor a divided cross-bar 27, which, extends as a chord across the ring,its ends being secured in the ring in suitable bosses .28 formed on theinner face ofthe ring (see F 1gure 4). Raising this bar 27, will,therefore, raise the entire ring, and vice versa. `Sultable mechanism isassociated with this hanger bar to raise it or lower it at the will ofan aviator, and the construction is such that, if

desired, one ot the hanger bars 22 can be raised at one side of theairship while the other one is correspondingly depressed. Such movementwould be effective for stabilizing purposes. For this purpose, the upperend of each hanger bar 22 is provided with a high pitch thread 29, whichcarries a nut swiveled in a: bearing 31 supported on the iframe. Thisnut is formed at its lower end into a pinion 32, the teeth of which meshwith a rack 33 guided in the lower end of bearing 31. The thread 29 onone of thesehanger bars 22 is of an opposite character from thecorresponding thread 29 on the opposlte hanger bar 22.

Each rack 33 is connected at its end to an 4operating rod 34, and theserods 34 extend to a point near the central part of the ship where theycarry threads 35 of opposite character receiving a turn buckle 36, saidturn buckle having a handle in the torni of a wheel 3'?, which can beseized by the aviator and pushed to theright or to the left to shift therods 34 toward either side of the ship. Such a shifting movement willcause rotation of the nuts 30, which will cause one of the draw bars 22to rise and the other to descend. rllhese hanger bars 22 are heldnonrotatably in the guides 24. j

With this construction, it will be evident that by leaving wheel 37inits normal position, but by rotating itl in one direction, or

the other, the hanger bars 22 can be simul-` taneously raised, orsimultaneously lowered, equal amounts.

The airship is also provided with means for elevating, or lowering,theinboard sides of the controller rings 11 totilt the plane of therings, thereby raising the forward edges of the wings 13 as they pass ina rearward purpose, each ring is providedl with a bail 38, whichpreferably has a substantially vertical arm 39 on its outboard side,anda curved arm 40-toward its inboard side. The lower ends of these arms39 and 4() are attached to theinner sides of the controller ring,asindicated at 41 (see Figure 2). In

order to produce a slight outward movement y of the rings on their bars27, I provide two push rods, or links, 42,'each rod 42 being providedwith a bifurcated head 43 provided with a slot in its end to clear thecorresponding curved arm 4() of thebail 38. The end of this bifurcatedhead 43 carries an upwardly extending shank 44 that slides freelythrough a bearin ring 45, said bearing ring being mounted 1n the upperend of the curved arm 40 so'asv to rock on a horizontal pin 46, (seeFigure 9). ln order to receive this rocking ring 45, the upper end ofthe curved arm 40 is biurcatedas shown. With this construction, it willbe evident that it' either of the bars42 isshifted in an outwarddirection, its corresponding controller ring 11 will be tilted upwardlyat its inboard sido, and slightly downwardly at its loutboard side. lnthis connection, it should be noted that the bar 27 of each rotor islocated on the outboard side of the ring and at a considerable distancefrom the axis of rotation o1 the rotor. This gives increased movementfor theinboardedge of the controller ring and reduced movement for theoutboard edge. y

The bars 42 are connected by a construction similar to the turn buckle36 already described, that is to say, each bar 42 extends over to apoint near the center line of the airship where it is provided withthreads 47 and the threads of one bar are of an opposite character tothose of the other bar. rlhese threads 47 are connected by a turn buckle48 formed as the hub of" a Wheel/49.

This wheel operates as means for shifting` the bars 42 simultaneously ineither direction, for by rotating the handl wheel 49, the bars 42 can bedrawn toward each other, orv moved further apart. at their inner ends,which will have the effect of giving the controller rings an equaladjustment of the same character, raising orvlowering the inboard edgeof the controller rings as may be desired.

In order to enableithe controller rings to be tilted up or down at theirforward edges,

Y no

or aft edges, l provide each controller ring with a bail 50, the ends ofwhich may be attached at the ends of the bar 27. The upper end of thisbail is bifurcated (see Figure l) to receive a rocking bearing 51, saidbearing being mounted to rock on a-horizontal pin 52. Through thisbearing 51, a shank 53 extends downwardly from the outer end of a rocker54, said rocker having a crossbar 55 formed at its inner end and mountedfor slight swinging movements on a rocking pin 56.

lll/hen the rocker 54 is swung forwardly at its outer end, the shank 53would, of course, rock the bail in a corresponding direction, therebydepressing the forward side of the controller ring and elevating therear side. The cross-heads 55 are connected for complementary movementand are preferably connected with a stabilizer device controlled bygravity, which also connects up with the rods 34 already described. Forthis purpose, il provide a stabilizer device that is capable of swingingon a transverse axis of the airship, and also on an axis extendinglongitudinally with the fore-and-af't axis, and T utilize the relativemovements of the stabilizer plumb-bob, or similar means, for effectingautomatic adjustments in the controller rings.

' The stabilizer which l have illustrated comprises a transversesubstantially horizontal shaft 57 mounted at its ends to rock in fixedbearings 58. This rocking shaft has two downwardly extending rigid arms59 which connect to cords 60 Athat extend from it in differentdirections, and pass around guide pulleys 61 so that their outer endscan be attached to the ends of the cross-head 55. This construction,like the others described, is duplicated at both sides of the airship.Near the middle point of the bar 57, there is provided a. rigidlyattached sleeve 62 and on this sleeve a pendulum 63 is mounted to swingon a pin 64, the laxis of which extends in a foreand-aft direction. Thelower end of the pendulum carries a plumb-bob 65.

With this arrangement, it will be evident that if the airship becomesdepressed at its forward end, the pendulum 63 will swing relatively in aforward direction and this will mdve the cords 6l in the direction ofthe arrow (as indica-ted in Figure 2), thereby pulling in the rear cordsand paying out the forward cords. This will produce an upward adjustmentof the forward ends of the controller rings and a correspondingdepression of their rear sides. This adjustment movement takes place onthe universal joints, or ball and socket joints, 25, which support thebars 27 on the hanger bars 22. An opposite movement of the arms 59,will, of course, produce an opposite tilting effect at the controllerrings. This gives a fore-andaft stabilizing effect by reason of the factthat the raising of the forward sides of the wiesen;

controller rings will increase the angle of incidence of the wings thatare passing across the forward side of the airship, and this willincrease their lifting power. l utilize the latthe rock bar 57, l mounta lever 66 on a horizontal pivot pin 67 so that this lever can swing ina transverse plane. The lower end of this lever is connected by a link68 to the pendulum 63 and the upper end is attached by a link 69 to ayoke 70 that hangs on a grodved collar 7l near the hub of the wheel 37already described. The yoke 70 is connected to the link 69 by a verticalpivot pin 70a. By reason of this lever 66 and its connections, it willbe evident that if the airship becomes greatly depressed at its right orstarboard side, thependulum 63 will swing relatively toward the right,and this will shift the rods 34. toward the left. This will rotate thenuts 30 in a direction to depress the hanger bar 22 at the left or portside of the airship and will raise the outboard side of the starboardcontroller ring which will have the effect of increasing the angle ofincidence of the wings as they pass forwardly at the right side of thc?ship, thereby increasing the lift on this s1 e.

lin order to guide the inboard sides of the controller rings as they areraised and lowered, the bracket 15 is providedl with a long curved guide72. This guide is bifurcated at its lower end so as to form a long guideslot 73 and each controller ring is provided with a sf-shaped brace 74,the shank 7 5 of which passes through this slot 73. This guide,therefore, keeps the inboard edges of the controller rings from movingin a fore-and-aft direction, and also permits the front or rear sides ofthe rings to be tilted up or down when the rings are being adjusted, orcontrolled, by the bails 50.

The airship may be drivenby any suitable motor but preferably by a motor76 mounted on the central axis of the airship (see Figure 2) so that themotor shaft 77 extends rearwardly so as to drive a crossshaft 78 throughbevel gears 7 9, the ends of the cross-shaft being provided with bevelgears that drive the shafts 9 of the rotors. These gears should beproportioned so that the rotors will be driven at about one tenth therevolutions per minute of the engine, as-

suming an engine speed of about 12 or 14,

hundred revolutions per minute.

At some point in the drive shaft 77, l provide a one-way driveconnection, such as indicated in Figures 11 and 1, and, if desired, thisone-way drive connection can be incorporated in the hub of the pinion79a that forms part of the bevel gears 79. This construction may includea sleeve 80a rigidly mounted onthe drive shaft 77, and having aplurality of cam faces 81 that cooperate with balls, or rollers,

roo

82, so as to j am them against the inner face of a c lindrical chamber83 formed4 within the hu 84 of the pinion 79a. A drive connection,constructed as described, will enable the engine to drive the rotors ina forward direction, but if the rotors should be rotated yat a higherspeed than the engine can drive them, then they will rotate freelybecause the balls, or rollers, will move up against the shoulders 85 atwhich point they will not be jammed in the /chamber.83. This attains aafree wheeling effect for the rotors, which is useful when the airshipdescends; theair stream that passes upwardly as the airship descendswill cause rotation of the rotors in a forward direction. In order topermit this,

of course it isI necessary for the aviator to set the controller ringsso that both the controller rings are in the same relation to the wingswhich they control. By setting the controller rings so that the forwardedge of each wing (with respect to their rotation by the rotor) isdepressed, the air stream will cause the rotors to rotate in a forwarddirection.

This will, of course, develop aconsiderable resistance to the droppingof the airship through the air.

In order to steer the ship in a horizontal direction, I prefer toprovide the tail of the fuselage with a rudder, or vane, 87, located oneach side and normally lying close against the side of the ship. Each ofthese rudders has its 4own pivot pin 88 (see Figure l), which is locatedin a substantially vertical plane, and the rudders can be controlled by.a double steering lever 89 within the fuselage, each arm beingconnected by a steering cord 90 to its corresponding rudder. These cordscan pass out through guide openings 91 in the side of the fuselage, andconnect to an arm 92 on the side of the rudder. If desired, a lightspring may be used on the inner side of each rudder to hold it normallyagainst the side of the fuselage.

The general mode of operation of the airship will now be brieflydescribed:

The two rotors rotate in opposite direction from each' other, theleft-hand rotor being rotated in a clock-wise direction, and theright-hand rotor in an anti-clockwise direction. rlhe wings of therotors are in the same phase and the rotors are driven in synchronism sothat when any wing is passing rearwardly near the central fore-and-aftaxis' of the ship, a corresponding wing on the other side of thefore-and-aft axis is also passing rearwardly.

The wings that pass rearwardly near the center line of the ship producemost of the propelling effect and most of the lifting effect. Atthispoint, the wings have the greatest angle of incidence and for thisreason have the greatest lifting and propelling effect. As the wingspass outwardly toward the rear side of the ship, their angle ofincidence decreases and they haven very small angle of incidence or noneat all as they move forwardly at the outboard sides of the rotors. Byrotating hand wheel 49. in one direction, the outboard sides of thecontrol/1er rings 1J. can be raised, and this will increase the angle ofincidence of/the wings as they come forwardly on'the outboard side; anopposite rotation of the wheel 49 will produce an opposite effect. Byrotating the wheel 37 the controller rings can be raised or loweredsimultaneously, thereby increasing, or decreasing, the angle ofincidence of-all of the Wings of the ship simultaneously. By swingingthe pendulum 63 forward or back, the cross-heads 55 (see Figure 10) canbe rocked in either direction.l If rocked in the direction to carry theshank 53 forwardly, the forward sides of the controller rings will bedepressed, thereby reducing the angle of incidence of the wings as theypass across the ship at the forward side. If the shank 53 is movedrearwardly, the angle of incidence of the wings on the forward side ofthe ship will be increased and the elevation of the rings at the rearside will be decreased, thereby reducing the angle of incidence of thewings on the aft sides of the rotors. By swinging relatively forward, orback, the plumb-bob will make similar adjustments automatically.

The plumbebob 65 also automatically controls 'the shifting of the rods34 by swinging relatively laterally to raise or lower the controllerrings at their points of support on the hanger bars 32. The plumb-bobmay be moved by hand toward either side for the same purpose.

By reason of the one-way drive connection in the drive shaft 77, it ispossible for the engine to idle while the ship is in the air .and thiswill cause the ship to descend; such de scent, however, would beregulated by the resistance of the rotors which will be rotated by therelative upward air stream caused by the descent of the ship. By reasonof the one-way drive, the engine does not operate as a drag on therotors. In other words, the rotors rotate with a free wheeling effect.The upper ends'of the shafts are inclined inwardly so as to increase thegeneral stability of the ship.

It is understood that the embodiment of the invention described hereinis only one of the many embodiments this invention may take, and I donot wish to be limited in the practice of the invention, to theparticular embodiment set forth.

What I claim is:

1. vIn an airship, the combination of frame, a pair of rotors located onopposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor forI adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass'rearwardly adjacent the central fore-and-aft axis of theship, means for adjusting all the Wings on their axes to regulate theangle of incidence of all ofthe wings simultaneously, and means forcontrolling the angle of incidence in a complementary manner of thewings on opposite sides of the ship as they pass forwardly remote fromthe fore-andaft axis of the ship so that when the angle of inc1dence ofa wing passing forwardly on one side of the ship is increased, the angleof incidence of the corresponding wing on the other side or the shipwill be decreased.

2. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the :tore-andaft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly adjacent the central fore-and-aft axis of theship, means for adjusting all the wmgs on their axes to regulate theangle of incidence of all of the wings simultaneously, and means forcontrolling the angle of incidence in a complementary manner of thewings on opposite sides of the ship as they pass rearwardly adj aeent tothe fore-and-aft axis of the ship, so that when the angle of incidenceof a wing passing rearwardly on one side of the ship is increased, theangle of incidence of the corn responding wing on the other side of theship will be decreased.

3. In an airship, the combination of a `frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment abouty correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly adjacent the central fore-and-aft axis of theship, a controller ring corresponding to each rotor, means forsupporting said ring for adjustment on a substantially horizontalforeand-aft axis, means running on said ring and connected with thewings respectively for tilting the same on their axes, and means forcontrolling the position of the ring to control the angle of incidenceof the wings.

4. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating'the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly ladjacent the central fore-and-aft axis of theship, a controller ring corresponding to each rotor and mounted so thatit is capable of tilting on .a front and rear axis and onv a transverseaxis, means running on the ring and connected with the wingsrespectively -for tilting the same on their axes, and means forregulating the position of the controller ring.

5. In an airship, the combination of a terasse frame, a pair of -rotorslocated on opposite sides of the fore-andaft axis of the ship, a

plurality of wings supported on each rotor for adjustment aboutcorresponding substantially horizontal axes, means for rotating therunning on the controller ring and yconnected with the correspondingwing to tilt the same on its axis, means for supporting said controllerrin g enabling the same to tilt in di'erent dlrections, and means forcontrolling the tilt of the controller ring to regulate the angle ofincidence of the wings. I

6. ln an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon op osite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the s ip, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly adjacent the central fore-and-aft axis of theship, a controller 'ring corresponding toeach rotor, and mountedsubstantially concentric therewith, a carriage corresponding to eachwing and running on the controller ring, means connecting each carriagewith each wing for tilting the wings on their axes to Vary the angle ofincidence, means for supporting the controller ring to enable the sameto tilt in different directions, and means connected with the ring fortilting the same in di'erent directions to control the angle ofincidence of the wings.

7. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly adjacent the central fore-and-aft axis of theship, a controller ring corresponding to each rotor, and mountedsubstantially concentric therewith, means for supporting each controllerring for adjustment on a substantially horizontal front and rear axis, acarriage corresponding to each wing and guided on the controller ring,means connecting each carriage with its corresponding wing for adjustingthe angle of incidence of the wing, means for supporting each ring toenable the same to be adjusted downwardly or up- C wardly at the frontand rear of the ring, and means for controlling the tilting of the ringat its front and rear.

8. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly ad- 'jacent the central fore-and-aft axis of theship, a controller ring concentric with each rotor, means correspondingto each wing, running on the controller ring and connected with thecorresponding wing to-tilt the same on its axis, means for supportingsaid controller ring enabling the same to tilt in different directions,and automaticmeans connecting the two controller rings and operatingwhen the ship is depressed at one side, to increase the angle ofincidence of the wings as they pass rearwardly on that side to .raisethe depressed side of the ship.

9. In an airship, the combination of a frame,'a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft 'axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes to change the angle of incidence of thewings, means for rotating each rotor about a. substantially lVerticalaxis, a controller ring corresponding to each rotor and mountedsubstantially. concentric therewith, means corresponding to each wingand mounted on its corresponding ycontroller lring for tilting each wingon its own axis to change the angle of incidence of the wing, means forsupporting each controller ring, and enabling the ring to be tilted intodifferent positions, and automatic means operating when the ship isdepressed on one side, for tilting the controller rings to increase theangle of incidence of the wings on the depressed side of theship, andthereby to raise the depressed side.

l0. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly adjacent the central ore-and-aft axis of the ship,a controller ring corresponding to each rotor andv mounted substantiallyconcentric therewith, means supporting each controller ring foradjustment enabling the side of the ring toward the fore-and-aft axis ofthe ship to be raised or lowered, and enabling the fore or aft sides ofthe ring tobe depressed or raised, means corresponding to each Wingrunning on the ring and connected with each wing for tilting each wingon its own axis to adjust its angle of incidence, and means forcontrolling the position of thev controller rings to control the angleof incidence of the wings.

11. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair oi3 rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, apluralityofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment aboutcorresponding substantially horizontal axes, means for rotating therotors so that the wings pass rearwardly adjacent the centralfore-and-aft axis of the ship, a controller ring corresponding to eachrotor, means for mountlng the same to enable the controller ring to betilted, means corresponding to each wing and running on itscorresponding controller ring and connected with each wing for tiltingeach wing on its own axis to regulate its angle of infcidence, andautomatic means connected with the controller rings for increasing theangle of incidence ofthe wings at the forward side of the ship when theforward side of the ship becomes depressed. Y

l12. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly adjacent the' central fore-and-aft axis of theship, a controller ring corresponding to each rotor, means for mountingthe same toenable the controller ring to be tilted, means correspondingto each wing and running on its corresponding controller ring and con'-nected with each wing for tilting each wing on its own axis to regulateits angle of incidence, and automatic means connected with thecontroller rings for decreasing the angle of incidence of the wings atthe aft side of the ship when the .forward side of the ship becomesdepressed. c l

13. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horiiontal axes, means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly adjacent the central fore-and-aft axis of theship, a controller ring corresponding to each rotor, means for mountingthe same vto enable the controller ring to ybe tilted,

means corresponding to each wing and running on its correspondingcontroller ring and connected with each wing for tilting each wing onits own axis to regulate its angle of incidence, and automatic meansconnected with the controller ring for increasing the angle of incidenceof the wings at the forward side of the ship and decreasing the angle ofincidence of the wings at the aft side of the ship when the forward sideof the ship becomes depressed. A

14. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotorslocatedon opposite,

sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality of wingssupported on each rotor for adjustment about corresponding substantiallyhorizontall axes, means for rotating the rotors so that the wings passrearwardly ad-l jacent the central fore-and-aft axis of the ship, acontroller ring corresponding to each rotor and mounted substantiallyconcentric therewith, means for supporting each controller ring formovement on a front-and-rear axis located on the outboard side of theaxis of rotation of its corresponding rotor, means corresponding to eachwing running on the controller rings and connected with thecorresponding wings for regulating the angle of incidence of the wings,and means for holding the controller rings in different positions ontheir axes to change the angle of incidence of the wings.

15. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly ad jacent the central fore-and-aft axis of theship, a controller ring corresponding to each rotor and mountedsubstantially concentric therewith, means for supporting each controllerring for movement on a front-andrear axis located on the outboard sideof the axis of rotation of its corresponding rotor, means correspondingto each wing running on the controller rings and connected with thecorresponding wings for regulating the angle of incidence of the wings,means for holding the controller rings indifferent positions on theiraxes to change the angle of incidence of the wings, and means forraising or lowering the forward and aft sides of the controller rings tochange the angle of incidence of the wings as they pass away from, ortoward, the fore-and-aft axis of the shi 1%. ln an airship, thecombination of a frame, a pair of rotors located on opposite sides offore-and-aftaxis of the ship, a plurality of wings supported on eachrotor for adjustment about corresponding substantially horizontal'axes,means for rotating the rotors so that the wings pass rearwardly adjacentthe central fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a controller ringcorresponding to each rotor and substantially concentric with the same,a bar corresponding to each ring and extending as a chord across thesame in a fore-andaft direction on the outboard side of the axis of therotor, a bracket corresponding to each controller ring and carried onthe frame, a universal joint supported on each bracket and supportingthe corresponding rock bar, means corresponding to each wing and runningon the controller rings with means connecting the same with acorresponding wing to regulate the angle of incidence of each wing, andmeans for supporting the inboard side of each ring and for depressing orraising the same to change the angle of incidence of the wings.

17. ln an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the shipa plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes,means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly adj acent the central fore-and-aft axis of theship,

a controller `ring corresponding to each rotor means corresponding toeach wing and runningon the controller rings with means connecting thesame with a corresponding wing to regulate the angle of incidence ofeach wing, means for supporting the inboard side of each ring and fordepressing or raising the same to change the angle of incidence of thewings, and means connected with the rings for adjusting the same on theuniversal joints to depress or raise the forward and after portions ofthe said rings, to change the angle of incidence of the wings as theypass along the forward and after portions of the rings.

18. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about' correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly adjacent the central fore-and-aft axis of theship, a controller ring correspending to each rotor and mountedsubstantially concentric therewith, means for supporting each controllerring on the frame so that its forward and after portions can bedepressed or raised and so that the inboard or outboard sides ofk thering can be depressed or raised, means corresponding to each wingrunning on the controller rings and connected with the wings for movingeach wing on its own axis to change the angle of incidence of each wing,a gravity controlled device, and means connecting the same with therings operating to depress or raise the inboard or outboard sides of thei rings when the starboard orport side of the airship is depressed andoperating to raise or lower the forward or aft sides of the rings whenthe forward end of the ship is depressed or raised.

19. ln an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors located,one on each side of the fore-and-aft axis of the shipaplurality of wingssupported on each rotor for adjustment about corresponding substantiallyhorizontal axes, means for rotating the rotors, controlling meansassociated with each rotor for controlling the angle of incidence of itswings, and a common gravity controlled equilibrating device for bothrolli.

tors connected with the said last-named means and operating toincreasethe angle of incidence of thew'ings' of each rotor as they spasson the forward side of the vship when the forward side of the shiphas become ldepressed, and operating to increase angle of incidence ofthe Wings of each rotor as they pass on the starboard side oi the axisof the rotor after the starboard side of the ship has become depressed.y

20. In an air hip, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a

plurality of wings supported on each rotor' 21. In an airship, thelcombination of a frame, a pair of rotors located on oppositeA i sidesof the for-and-aft axis of the ship, a v

plurality of wings supported on each rotor Afor adjustment aboutcorresponding substantially horizontal axes, means for rotating therotors, controlling means associated with each -rotor for controllingthe angle of incidence of its wings, a transverse shaft mounted forrotation on its axis, a -plumbbob, with means for connecting the same tothe shaft, enabling the plumb-bob to swing transversely of the ship,means connected with the shaft for imparting relative movements of theplumb-bob in a ore-and-aft direction, to the controlling means, andmeans connected with the plumb-bob for imparting its transversemovements to the said controlling means, for controlling the angle ofincidence of the wings.

' i22. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a. pair of rotorslocated on opposite sides of the ore-'and-aft axis of the ship, aplurality of wings supported on/each rotor for adjustment aboutcorresponding sub stantially horizontal axes, a controller ringcorresponding to l each rotor' and substantially concentric therewith,means for supporting veach controller ring to enable the same to berocked for, adjustment on a transverse axis and on a front and rearaxis,

means connecting each ring with its corre-r sponding wings forregulating the angle of incidence of the same, a plumb-bob, means forsupporting the same so that it is capable of swlnglng in a relativefore-and-aft direction and in a transverse direction, means forimparting the relative movements yot the plumb-bob in a fore-'and-aftdirection to the controller rings, the transverse movements of theplumb-bob tothe said rings. Y

23. In an airship,'the combination of 'a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite lsides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship,

ya plurality of wings supported on each rotor for adjustment aboutcorresponding suband means for imparting v stantially horizontal axes,means for rotata ing the rotors so that the wings pass rearwardlyadjacent the central fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a controller ringcorresponds ing to each'rotor and mounted substantially concentrictherewith, a bracket supported on the frame, means mounted on thebracket for supporting each ring, means running on the rings andconnected with the wings for regulating their angle of incidence, acontrol rod corresponding to each yrotor and extending laterally to thesame from the central portion of the ship, and means associated witheachI bracket so that a shifting of the control rods effects a movementin the controller ring to change the angle of incidence of the' wings.

24. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides ofthe fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a pluralityo1wings supported on each rotor for adjustment about wcorrespondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly adjacent the central fore-,and-aft axis of theship, `a controller ring corresponding to each rotor, means running onthe ring for regulating the angle of incidence of the wings,

vmeans for supporting each ring so that it is capable of being tilted tovary the angle of incidence of the wings at different points in theirtravel, control members corresponding to each rotor, with meansconnecting the same with each ring for controlling the ring, saidcontrol members extending to a point near the central axis of theairship, the adjacent ends o said control members having oppositelydisposed threads, and a `turn- `buckle mounted on said threads andhaving means for grasping the same to shift the said control memberssimultaneously, the opposite threads of said control members enablingthe rotation ofthe turn-buckle to impart equal adjustments to the saidrings.

25.`In yan airship, the combination of a frame, alpair of rotors locatedon opposite -sides of the foreand-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating the .rotors so thatthe wings pass rearwardly adjacent the central fore-and-aft axis of theship, a bracket corresponding to each rotor and carried by the frame, ahanger guided to slide substantially vertically in each brack- `frame, apair of rotors located on opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of theship, a plurality of wings supported on each rotor for adjustment aboutcorresponding substantially horizontal axes, means for rotating therotors so that the wings pass rearf .lwardly adjacent the centralfore-and-aft axis of the ship, a bracket corresponding to each rotor andcarried by the frame, a hanger guided to `slide substantially verticallyin each bracket, a controller ring corresponding4 to each rotor, meansfor supporting each ring on its corresponding hanger, means running onthe controller `rings and connected with the wings for regulating theirangle of incidence, a rod corresponding to each hanger and extendinginwardly to a point near the central axis of the ship, said hangershaving threads thereon, a nut on the threads of each hanger forsupporting the hanger, a pinion associated with each nut, each rodhaving a rack meshing with its corresponding pinion to rotate the samewhen the rods are shifted, and thereby raise or lower the rings.

' 27. ln an airship, the` combination of a frame, a pair of rotorslocated on opposite sides of the fore-'and-aft axis of the ship, a

lurality of wings supported on each rotor or adjustment aboutcorresponding substantially horizontal axes, means for rotating therotors so that the wings pass rearwardly adjacent the centralfore-and-aft axis of the ship, a controller ring corresponding to eachrotor and substantially concentric therewith, a carriage correspondingto each wing mounted to slide on the rings, means connecting eachcarriage with a corresponding 'wing for regulating the angle ofincidence of Athe wing, means corresponding to each carriage connectedwith the rotor and including a flexible connection for enabling therotor to pull the carriages around the rings, means for supporting eachring so that it is capable of being tilted into diderentY positions tovary the angle of incidence of the wings as they pass around the axis ofthe rotor, and control means for moving the rings into differentpositions.

'28. In a rotary unit for an airship, the

combination of a rotor mounted for rotation l on a-substantiallyvertical axis, a plurality terassef ofl wings mounted on the rotor foradjustment on a horizontal axis corresponding to each wing, a controllerring mounted substantially concentric with the rotor, a bar extendingacross` the controller ring as a chord, vmeans for supporting said barnear its middle point, said last-named means in-` cluding a universaljoint enabling the ring to be tipped to hold the same in dierent planes,

and means running on the ring corresponding connecting with the same toto each wing and regulate the angle of incidence of the wings.

29. lin a rotary unit for an airship, the combination of a rotor mountedfor rotation on al substantially vertical axis, a plurality of wingsmounted on the rotor for adjustment on a horizontal axiscorrespondinto-'each wing, a controller ring mounted, su stantialsup- -ring so thatit is caconnected with the wings for moving the same slightly on' theirown axes to alter their angle of incidence. i

' 30. In a rotary unit for an airship, the combination of a rotormounted for lrotation on a substantially vertical axis, a plurality ofwings mounted on the rotor for adjustment on a horizontal axiscorresponding to each wing, a controller ring mounted substantiallyconcentric with the rotor, a bar `extending across the controller ringand secured to the same, said bar located on the outboard side of' theaxis of rotation of the rotor, means for supporting said bar forrotation on its own axis to change the relative elevation of the inboardand'outboard sides of the ring, said supporting means constructed so asto permit movement of the ring in another direction so as tochange therelative elevation of the forward side of the after side of the` wing,means connected with the ring for controlling the relative elevation ofthe outboard and inboard sides of the ring, means connected with thering for controlling ,the relative elevation of the forward and aftsides of the ring, and means connectingthe ring with the wingsrespectively to regulate their angle of incidence.

31. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstantially horizontal axes, means for rotating the rotors so that thewings `pass rearwardly adjacent the central fore-and-aft axis of the Miilill@ for controlling the angle of incidence in a complementary mannerof: the Wings on op-l posite sides of the'ship as they pass forward- 1yremote from the fore-and-aft axis of the ship so that when the angle ofincidence of a wing passing forwardly on one side of the ship isincreased the angle of incidence of the corresponding wing. as it passesforwardly on the other side of the ship will be decreased.

32. In -an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported on each rotor for adjustment about correspondingsubstan.- tially horizontal laxes, means for rotating the rotors so thatthe wings pass rearwardly adjacent the central ore-and-aft axis of theship, `means for adjusting all the wings on their axes to regulate theangle of incidence of all of the Wings simultaneously, and means forcontrolling the angle of incidence in a complementary manner of thewings on opposite sides of the ship as they pass rearwardly adjacent tothe fore-and-aft axis of the Y ship, so that when the angle of incidenceof a wing passing rearwardly on one side of the ship is increased, theangle of incidence of the corresponding wing as it passes rearwardly onthe other side' of the ship will be decreased.

33. In an airship, the combination of a frame, a pair of rotors locatedon opposite sides of -the fore-and-aft axis of the ship, a plurality ofwings supported` on each rotor for adjustment about corresponding'substantially horizontal axes,-means for rotating the rotors so that thewings pass rearwardly adjacent the central fore-and-aft axis of theship, a relatively fixed controller ring corresponding to each rotor,substantially horizontal pivot means extending in a fore-and-aftdirection for supporting said ring for adjustment on a substantiallyhorizontal fore-andaft axis, means running on said ring and connectedwith the wings respectively for tilting the same on their axes, andcooperating with the controller ring to give the Wings dif- -ferentpitch at. different points in their rotation about the axis of therotor.

Signed at Los Angeles, California, this 7th day of May', 1931.

JAMES W. HESS.

